Telecommunication service providers are able to provide data services across their networks. For example, data services include multimedia connection services, synchronization distribution and signalling. In order to increase the area over which data may be transmitted, service providers can contract data transport services from other service providers. For example, a service provider who wishes to provide global IP virtual private network (VPN) services might contract transport services from access providers to reach enterprise sites that are not directly connected to the service provider's domain.
With an increased need for fast service delivery, service providers have an incentive to establish a cross-provider service layer that allows them to interact and buy each other's services through an automated process. An implementation of such service layer among an alliance of service providers has been proposed for example by Douville et al. in “A Service Plane over the PCE Architecture for Automating Multidomain Connection-Oriented Services”, IEEE Communications Magazine, June 2008, pp 94-102.